One thing that drives me crazy is when politics and faith meshes and partisan politics becomes the message of the pulpit. I find it unbiblical and unholy. I think it is divisive to the Body of Christ and beyond damaging. No balance seems to be found. Well, until Rick (from Concept 53), pointed me to this article from Christianity Today and I was quite surprised ...
But if we look at politics from God's perspective, we see that he has a deep and abiding interest in all people being treated fairly. If God favors any "special interest group," it is the poor, the hungry, the unborn, the handicapped, the prisoner--those with the least access to political power.
This is why we Christians should never allow ourselves to be, as the press has often characterized us, just another special interest group pleading for our agendas only. But if we were a special interest group, we would be lobbying for the dignity of all, especially those who can't always speak for themselves.
So maybe a particular candidate isn't going to cut your taxes or vote for your favorite program, but the real question is, will he serve all the people, or only the loudest?
I think one of my biggest problems with those who would so easily sweep the poor and disabled under the political rug and say they are not as important to God ... is that it speaks against Jesus. In that series I just had a fit over ... they literally claim that. They say that because feeding the poor does not rate in God's top ten (the Ten Commandments) that it isn't as important to God as abortion and gay marriage.
Jesus said this about the Ten Commandments ...
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." - Mark 12:29-31
In Matthew 25:31-46, He speaks volumes regarding the poor, sick, the prisoner.
But, what really gets me in all this ... what I call this new partisan trend of diminishing the teachings of Jesus ... is that Jesus said ...
"Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." - John 14:10-11
So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases Him." - John 8:28-29
My spirit cries out to God for the unborn, the poor, the disabled, the homeless, the prisoner, the tortured, the hungry, the needy, the elderly ... the lost. I just pray one day that if we are going to claim that there is an actual Christian platform ... that platform speaks for the whole Bible ... not just the parts we deem qualified as pet projects.
What is the purpose of feeding the poor, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoner?
It's hard to read "tone," but I mean that as a serious question. We are commanded to love our fellow man - to what end?
Does "purpose" matter if Christ commanded it?
Same thing on the "tone" thing. I mean it as a serious question to.
We have homeless people in America. Kids actually go hungry here. People go without food and shelter. Jesus didn't just bring them the Word of God. He fed them. He loved them. He healed them.
He never said only feed these or don't help those or don't feed them if you can't tell them about me at the exact same time. He just said to do it. Feed the hungry. Give them shelter. Invite them in. Visit the prisoner. Care for the sick. He didn't say we could not do it as a collective. He didn't say we had to do it one person at a time.
Not to be sacriligious but he said it like Nike -- Just Do It.
hi angel. i found your blog on highcallingblogs and wanted to comment with a big amen. you have a nice blog.
i saw laura's question too and wanted to say that the purpose of feeding the poor is to obey jesus. same with visiting the prisoner and caring for the sick. jesus said to do it. it reminds me of that saying that god said it so i believe it. jesus said do it so i do it.
Of course it matters, Justin. I'm certainly not *objecting* to doing those things - I DO them. As someone who was once on welfare, a regular user of food banks and a charity recipient, I'm pretty conversant with poverty in America. But I want to know what Angel, and now you, believes the purpose, the ultimate goal, of doing those things is.
Mandy, how is the purpose to obey Jesus? Like a test, he says "Simon says," and we do it? That was the point of the whole exercise, to see who would obey?
And to clarify - obviously there can be more than one reason for doing something, but I'm asking what y'all think the *most important* purpose is (and why).
Hey Laura!
I don't have a lot of time, but I did not want you to think that I am ignoring your question. I am trying to make gigantic cookies (like the size of pizza pans), deal with a mountain of laundry, do the dishes, and put out the Christian Bloggers Blog Beam (that I promised would return this week).
So, in the short, I would say the first purpose is to show our love and please God. The second would be obedience, which also pleases God.
And, the third would be to glorify God through Jesus Christ.
I will be back in a little bit, but in all fairness, there is nothing wrong in obeying Jesus in a "Simon Says" manner. It may be more simple than delving into scripture and finding a reason for everything, but it is sound. You might not know the exact reason why you are doing something, but at least you are being obedient. :)
Hey ... I just noticed the Verse of the Day ...
That one fits as well. :) Now, I am off to see if I have killed the giant cookies! I don't know what prompted me to even attempt this. LOL!
I was going to suggest that one verse but saw you got it in there before I could.
Laura, while purpose might be important to understanding, I don't think it is vital in the grand scheme of things. I do many things in obedience, like a child would a parent. You trust that God knows what is best for you and then you do what he says.
Again, hard to read "tone." :-) I'm not against simple obedience just like I'm not against charity. I mean, I'm not going to explain to a two year old about why she needs to hold my hand in the parking lot... God's got the big picture in mind and even if I don't know the details I can trust him. But the bible is very clear about God's overall goals and intentions, especially on giving.
I do have some very decided views on this that are not exactly the same as yours, so I wanted to know more about your thought processes - how you got to the destination you have - to see if there's something I'm missing.
What's interesting is that (and to me this was not obvious based on your focus on the *outcomes* you wrote about in the post) we both believe the main purpose of feeding the poor is NOT directly about getting the poor fed.
Good luck with the giant cookies. I burn 'em every time.
Hey! I didn't burn them and this was my first try ... but they are really funny looking around the edges ... more of a feathered look than a nice roundness. But, I took them out while they were still really soft and basically let them set on the pan and finish cooking with their own heat. That might have something to do with them not burning! :)
Being that I read you regularly, I know we differ on this topic. I was somewhat apprehensive when you asked that question because I wondered if we were going to get into some kind of showdown! LOL And, I am not about that as much as I can have a fit here. But, I tried to just answer honestly as to what I think the purpose is and why.
And, don't sweat the tone thing. If you aren't calling me names, I usually give people the benefit of the doubt on tone. Once the name-calling starts, I figure that speaks for itself! :)
I'll have to try that with the cookies. :-)
Related to your post, I was really pleased to see this John Piper video -
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1473_Thoughts_on_Voting_and_Politics/
Pastors can be as partisan as they like in their personal lives but it's infuriating when they bring it to the pulpit - such an abuse of the office God entrusted to them! I was glad to see Piper did the right thing.
Thank you for that link! That is truly awesome and powerful. I have always liked John Piper ever since I did a review of his book God Is The Gospel. Sometimes, when I am just listening to him, I come under such strong conviction. He has such a quality about him.
Hi family!
On the "why?" question that Laura posed, it can be tackled on multiple levels, and I'm equally sure there are a few other good ways to express the ideas, but here goes.
The overly simple would be the example of the child in the parking lot (ever notice how some kids are excellent minders, docile, trusting, while others go the opposite direction, always tugging or leading? Just an observation we can come back to later). This one would be labeled "Simon says" - whether we trust God or not, we do it.
A step up the ladder of understanding would be trying to figure out how to put "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself" into practice consciously, and then doing so out of love and obedience. This we could label "Love in action" - if a label is needed. By this point, some spiritual maturation has occurred, and we trust God - we may not always understand, but we trust Him.
A bigger step up the ladder is when such behavior becomes so much a part of who you are that you don't have to spend much time thinking about how to put what He says into practice; indeed, you aren't thinking of yourself at all (or are doing so less and less as time goes on). The focus is on serving God, and less on the things we judge ourselves and each other on. Our trust in Him has shown us wonderful things about Him, about ourselves, and about others.
The parable of the sheep and the goats has both groups asking the Lord when did they ever see Him in need - and the sheep are answered with an answer that has to be pleasing to them as much as it is surprising to some of them (if not all of them), while the goats will receive a far less pleasing answer.
None of us should be motivated by an unhealthy fear of the Lord - a healthy sense of fear, all of us need and few of us have - and so my use here of the parable of the sheep and the goats is not to be seen as an attempt to scare obedience out of people. Rather, it is meant as a reminder of what God states as fact of how things will be.
Those who have grown into the understanding of what it means to be a servant will receive their rewards, while those who insisted on holding onto things of this world at every turn will find that they've missed not only a chance to see Christ in the eyes of a stranger, but also that they will have made the biggest mistake in their lives by making a habit out of poor decisions as regards "the least of these."
Your mileage may vary :)
I think this was a very good response to what was said in those Copeland services and I think you are right. On a purely theological level I think you have proven that standing up for the "least of these" qualifies as part of a valid christian platform. Kudos to you!
Getting Republicans to actually pony-up is another matter unfortunately.
Thanks, B - my wife and I were just talking about my response here (she's not as avid a blogosphere participant as I am, but we both love and want to serve the Lord); some things are beyond my ability to address, but this one I'll bite on. It is my belief that many people that are identified (either by their own choice or admission, or labeled as such by others) as "Republicans" are in fact not conversant with what a republic is, what a democracy is, and use the label as a shorthand way of saying someone is selfish, given over to a pull yourselves up by your own bootstraps way of viewing others. Wrap that in the American flag for patriotism, wrap it all around a cross, and you can explain the worst kinds of bigotry and hardness of heart.
Are all Republicans that way? By no means! Are all Democrats selfless, other-focused, peace-loving people? By no means! Are all of these Republicans and Democrats people? Absolutely. Do all people fall short of God's standards? Do all sin - even those who have been born again? Absolutely.
We make a mistake when we label, box, pigeonhole... judge. Are we to be fruit inspectors? Absolutely - by their fruits you will know them. Those who demonstrate bitter fruit - but fruit nonetheless - may simply need to be pruned and have the roots dug around, a fresh feeding of proper nutrients applied. Those who demonstrate no fruit - and no capacity for it - perhaps the tree is good for firewood, but perhaps even the smoke would be toxic. Those who have fruit - and in abundance - do not think of limiting the outflow of their fruit. In fact, they aren't thinking about themselves to the degree that most of us seem to fall prey to - they give because that's what a tree planted in Christ does.